Joaquim Agostinho

Joaquim Agostinho (Torres Vedras, April 7, 1943 – May 10, 1984) was one of the best Portuguese cyclists. His career spanned between 1968 and 1984.

Biography

Born in Torres Vedras, not far from Lisbon, into a humble peasant family who, once he finished his primary studies, had to help with farm work. He was called up for military service when Portugal was immersed in war in its African colony of Mozambique and assigned to the front, where he was for two and a half years. Once the war was over he decided to stay there to work in a sugar factory, but he soon returned to Portugal.

Sports career

Discovered by Jean de Gribaldy, Agostinho, rather short in stature, but corpulent, was endowed with marvelous physical conditions that would have allowed him to excel in any sporting discipline. A cyclist friend convinced him to try the bicycle, the test was satisfactory and at the age of 25 Agostinho joined a cycling team.

He soon began to stand out and all the teams fought to have him in their ranks as a luxury team member, he spent one year in the Italian Magniflex, two in the Bic, in the one who helped Luis Ocaña win the 1973 Tour. In 1975 he signed for Lejeune and the following year he would do so for the Spanish Teka. Two years later he goes to Flandria in Belgium; which is followed by the Puch and the Sem. In 1984 he contributed decisively to the creation of the first Portuguese professional cycling team.

Death

At 41 years old, he had the prospect of signing for Skil and riding the Tour de France for the fourteenth time, equaling Joop Zoetemelk's record, but on April 30, 1984, when he was competing in the final stretch and when he was leading the. Some time later it was said that the consequences of this accident could be less if Joaquim wore a helmet. He got up, got back on his bike and finished the stage with the help of Benjamim Carvalho and José Amaro, his teammates. He initially refused hospital treatment, but persistent headaches led him to be admitted to Loulé hospital, where an x-ray revealed a fracture in the parietal bone and his health condition worsened dramatically. He was also transferred to the Faro Hospital, but had to be transferred in an emergency, traveling 300 kilometers by ambulance (at that time there were no helicopters to transport patients in Portugal, nor a neurosurgery service in the Algarve), to undergo surgery. the CUF hospital, in Lisbon. After ten surgical interventions, he was clinically dead 48 hours after the fall and remained in a coma for ten days. As a result of the injuries suffered, Joaquim Agostinho died on May 10, 1984, ten days later, a few minutes before 11:00 a.m., his body was buried in the Silveira cemetery in his homeland.

On July 30, 1984 he was posthumously decorated as an Officer of the Order of the Infante Don Enrique.

Palmarés

RESULTS

During his sports career he has achieved the following positions.

Great turns

Race		1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
	Giro de Italia	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Ab.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Tour de France	-	8.	14.o	5.o	8.	8.	6.o	15.	-	13.	3.o	3.o	5.o	Ab.	-	11.	-
	Return to Spain	-	-	-	-	Ab.	6.o	2.	-	7.	15.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Classics, Championships and JJ. OO.

Race		1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
	Milan-San Remo	-	-	-	-	-	87.o	-	-	-	36.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Liège-Bastoña-Lieja	-	-	-	-	17.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
World on Route		16.	15.	-	Ab.	42.	20.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Portugal on Route		1.o	1.o	1.o	1.o	1.o	1.o	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Portugal Contrarreloj		1.o	1.o	1.o	1.o	1.o	1.o	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

EQUIPMENT

• Frimatic-Jean de Gribaldy (1969-1970)
• Hoover (1971)
• Magniflex - by Gribaldy (1972)
• Bic (1973-1974)
• Teka (1976-1977)
• Flandria (1978-1979)
• Puch-Sem-Campagnolo (1980)
• Sem-France Loire (1981-1983)
• Sporting Lisboa-Raposeira (1984)

Joaquim Agostinho Trophy

The Torres Vedras GP changed its name in posthumous tribute to Joaquim, becoming the Joaquim Agostinho Trophy. The test has become one of the most important on the Portuguese cycling scene.

Monuments and honors

• In Torres Vedras, at the top of the Parque Verde da Várzea a monument was built in honor of Joaquim Agostinho.
• In the garden of Silveira was also built a monument in honor of the athlete and was inaugurated on 14 May 1989.
• Also in Silveira, it was given the name of Avenida Joaquim Agostinho, where the Parroquial Council and the cemetery where the corridor is buried.
• On the main avenue of access to the center of the Playa de Santa Cruz, from the roundabout of the campsite, was given the name of Avenida Joaquim Agostinho
• In France, on the 14th curve of the Alpe d'Huez, a bronze bust is raised with a height of 1.70 m high x 70 cm wide and weighing 70 kg. It rests on a green granite pedestal, three meters high. The statue is to commemorate its victory at the stage with arrival at the mythical Alpe d'Huez in 1979, when the Tour finished third for the second time. Never another Portuguese cyclist had won at this stage.
• He has a street in Lisbon.